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4 C olumbia U niversity RECORD February 15, 2002 Film Student Dave Silver Wins Top Short Film Prize at Utah’s Sundance Festival “Gasline” is not your typical suburban film. Set in New York’s ‘burbs in the midst of the second gas shortage of 1979, Ben Crosby, the film’s protagonist, has the unlucky fortune of owning a gas sta- tion. And his station is running low on gas. Over the course of a very bad day, Crosby faces angry customers, indifferent whole- salers, an attendant with an attitude, a failing marriage, a woman from his past and a vul- nerable son. He tries to navi- gate a path through it all and comes within inches of surviv- ing with his world intact. Crosby’s survival story in “Gasline” was the creative work of graduate student Dave Silver of the School of the Arts film division. Silver made the film as his thesis and, in what would be any film student’s dream, it earned the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking, the top honor for American short films, on Jan. 19 at the Sundance Film Festival. Chosen from 2,100 entries, “Gasline” was one of 79 short films featured at this year’s fes- tival, which ran from Jan. 10 - 20 in Park City, Utah. The Short Film Jury Prize— sponsored by American Express—was awarded to a film of outstanding achieve- ment and merit. In the short film category [films under 30 minutes in length], the entries were judged for their individu- ality, artistry and charm. Short films are a way of introducing new talent as they demonstrate the power of a filmmaker’s storytelling. The short films are exhibited before features or combined in fea- ture-length programs, and are thought to capture the creative burst that is the essence of independent filmmaking, according to the Sundance Institute. Dan Kleinman, chair of Columbia’s film division, called, Silver’s short “one of the best-directed student films I have seen in my 30 years of teaching. All of us in the Film Division are proud of what David has accomplished and expect great things from him in the future.” Silver’s film also received the Kim’s Video Award at last year’s Polo Ralph Lauren Columbia University Film Festival. As a student of the film divi- sion, Silver has served as assis- tant to the directing faculty and a directing fellow. Prior to film school, he was a creative direc- tor at Ogilvy & Mather, a worldwide advertising agency, where he won numerous awards including Finalist at the Cannes International Advertis- ing Festival. Silver returned to film school in 1998 to pursue a career as a film director. He grew up in New York during the 1970s, and received his BA in Philosophy from Wesleyan University. Silver has recently complet- BY LORALEE NOLLETTI Mitchell’s appointment was met with enthusiasm from both the Columbia communi- ty and his colleagues on the diplomatic stage. “We are delighted to have a statesman of Senator Mitchell’s stature as part of our School of International and Public Affairs,” said Columbia President George Rupp. “As a senator and prac- titioner of conflict resolution he has commanded the respect of leaders, both in this country and abroad.” Added Columbia Provost Jonathan Cole, “The entire Columbia community will benefit from Senator Mitchell’s knowledge and experience, based on his many successes as a public official and as an ambassador for peace.” “Senator Mitchell has a fine record of accomplish- ment on the international stage,” said retired Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, MA ’53, Ph.D. ’67, who was National Security Advisor to former President George Bush. “He has been very deft in making ed work on two feature length screenplays: a horror/thriller about a bioengineering experi- ment gone haywire and a dark comedy on the American West. “I’m thrilled with the award, as you can imagine,” said Sil- ver. “But my future as a direc- tor will have more to do with the years I’ve spent with some very special and talented teach- ers than recognition for one short film. I’m especially thankful to Nick Proferes, Bette Gordon, Anthony Breg- man, and Lenore deKoven. Columbia taught me the tools for dramatic storytelling, with- out which I would never have gone to Sundance.” Silver wasn’t the only Columbia student to see his work featured at Sundance this year. Two other current stu- dents in the Film Division, Amalia Zarranz with her film, “Tall Girl,” and Claudia Myers with her film, “Buddy and Grace,” had their short films featured. In the feature catego- ry, two alumni had their works presented: Bertha Bay-Sa Pan (MFA’99) who directed “Face” and Ernesto Foronda (MFA ’00) who co-wrote and pro- duced “Better Luck Tomor- row,” developed from his thesis script. In the last two years, Colum- bia short films have won the three most prestigious short film festivals in America, the Next Wave festival, the Palm Springs International Short Film Festi- val, and now the shorts compe- tition at Sundance. In addition, Columbia stu- dents have won the most sought-after student film prize in the U.S., the Student Acade- my Award, four times in the last five years; all of these awards went to different films. “The student filmmakers, of course, deserve the credit,” Kleinman. “But I’m pleased that there is increasing recogni- tion given to our dedicated fac- ulty and the distinctive film- making curriculum we have developed in the School of the Arts.” Former Senator Mitchell Joins SIPA’S Center for International Conflict Resolution (Continued from Page 1) On view through March 4 in the Low Library Rotunda, the exhibition entitled “Triumphant Artists” is a tribute to children of Central Harlem who have overcome physical and emo- tional challenges through their art. The exhibit includes work from this year’s young artists whose struggles with the mean- ing of the World Trade Center disaster are apparent in their art, and past artists, for whom painting was a critical outlet. The exhibition—sponsored by the Office of Public Affairs in celebration of Black History Month—is open to the public Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A reception honoring the artists will be held Thursday, Feb. 21, 4-6 p.m. in the Rotunda. Columbia faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend. Harlem Students Display Healing Art at Annual Show “Remember September” by Orville Anderson inroads for peace in some of the world’s most troubled regions. He will be a valu- able asset to Columbia.” “Senator Mitchell has been a great public servant with the best diplomatic skills and the tenacity to get things done,” said former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, MA ’68, Ph.D. ’76. “His work in Northern Ireland and the Mid- dle East has been both incred- ible and invaluable.” “Senator Mitchell’s numer- ous diplomatic and legislative achievements have had a pro- found impact on the United States and the international community,” said SIPA Dean Lisa Anderson. “His appoint- ment continues the school’s success in attracting top- flight public officials and pro- fessionals who bring a wealth of experience into the class- room.” Mitchell, who served in the U.S. Senate for 14 years, was chairman of the peace negoti- ations in Northern Ireland. Under his leadership, the Good Friday Agreement was agreed to by governments of Ireland and the United King- dom as well as the political parties in Northern Ireland. Voters in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic endorsed the agreement in May 1998. In 2001, the Bush adminis- tration adopted as its policy in the Middle East the recom- mendations put forth by an international committee Mitchell chaired for ending the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Mitchell also served as Chairman of the International Commission on Disarmament in Northern Ireland, at the request of the British and Irish governments, and as chairman of the International Crisis Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of crises in inter- national affairs. A U.S. senator from 1980 until 1995, Mitchell led the successful 1990 reauthoriza- tion of the Clean Air Act, which included new controls on acid rain toxins, and was the author of the first national From left: President George Rupp, SIPA Dean Lisa Anderson and new Senior Fellow George Mitchell. oil spill prevention and clean- up law. For six consecutive years, he was voted “the most respected member” of the Senate by a bipartisan group of senior congressional aides. Mitchell, Senate majority leader from 1989 to 1995, led the Senate to passage of the nation’s first child care bill and was principal author of the low income housing tax credit program. He was instrumental in the passage of the Americans with Disabili- ties Act, landmark legislation extending civil rights protec- tions to the disabled. With former U.S. Senator and former Defense Secretary William Cohen (R-Me.), he wrote “Men of Zeal: A Can- did Inside Story of the Iran Contra Hearings” (Viking 1988). He has also authored “World on Fire: Saving an Endangered Earth” (Simon and Schuster 1991), a description of the greenhouse effect and recommendations for curbing it; “Not for Amer- RECORD PHOTO BY MICHAEL DAMES ica Alone: The Triumph of Democracy and the Fall of Communism” (Kodansha 1997) and “Making Peace” (Knopf 1999), an account of his experience in Northern Ireland. For his service in Northern Ireland, Mitchell has received the presidential Medal of Freedom, the federal govern- ment’s highest civilian honor, as well as the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, the Truman Institute Peace Prize and the German Peace Prize. Mitchell is currently chair- man of the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand and senior counsel to the Portland, Me., firm of Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau, Pachios and Haley. In Decem- ber 2001, the American Red Cross named Mitchell as the independent overseer of the organization’s Liberty Fund, which was created to assist victims of the Sept. 11 terror- ist attacks.
